US Arrests Green Beret Over Alleged $400,000 Bet on Venezuela Raid

A US Army master sergeant has been arrested and charged with unlawfully using government secrets for personal gain, after allegedly placing bets on a military operation in Venezuela. Gannon Ken Van Dyke, a member of the US Army Special Forces, is accused of using his knowledge of the forthcoming raid to place $33,000 in bets, which yielded around $400,000 in winnings. According to the indictment, Van Dyke created a Polymarket account and placed 13 bets between December 26, 2025, and January 2, 2026, on contracts related to the potential US military action in Venezuela. The US Department of Justice claims that Van Dyke's actions constitute insider trading and endangered national security. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission is also pursuing an insider trading complaint against Van Dyke. After the raid, Van Dyke allegedly withdrew his winnings, converted them to a cryptocurrency, and transferred the funds to a brokerage account. The investigation was initiated after news organizations noticed the large profit made on these bets, and Polymarket cooperated with the investigation, referring the matter to the DOJ.